Resurgence & Ecologist magazine Issue 339 • July/August 2023
Finding kinship

In this issue of Resurgence & Ecologist we explore the idea of becoming better kin and all the ways we might do that, including taking better care and more notice of the millions of invisible carers – young and older. We highlight a new literary prize that celebrates writing as respite for carers, and Satish Kumar invites us to think about our kinship with the one thing we all share, in his meditation on taking care of the Land.

The Slow Read is by Chandran Nair, founder of the Global Institute For Tomorrow. Nair suggests that nobody is entitled to disturb Nature in order to experience a sense of ‘awe’, and that not only is it high time to leave Nature alone, but the time has also come for an active, managed retreat.

In our Ecologist pages Roman Goergen reports on a fascinating study by Canadian scientists who noticed a strong link between the distribution of different Indigenous languages and the distribution of genetically different grizzly bears, and in Connected Life we join self-proclaimed orchid outlaw Ben Jacob on one of his clandestine rescue forays.

In Wisdom and Wellbeing we meet exuberant ‘rebel gardener’ Alessandro Vitale to talk zero waste food production and indigenous urban gardening, and in Art & Culture Annie Warburton reviews Ai Weiwei’s current exhibition Making Sense at London’s Design Museum.

Highlights

The ocean and us: Farah Obaidullah
Planting in a changing climate: Charlotte Sterland
The ‘awe’ industry: Chandran Nair
A different kind of therapy: Anita Roy
The rebel gardener: Susan Clark
Unravelling the history of people and planet: Nick Robins

Featured articles

The ocean and us

Farah Obaidullah has been working to protect the oceans for over 20 years and is the founder of Women4Oceans. Farah advocates for better diversity and inclusion in the ocean space and is clear that, "We can't find solutions to the most pressing problems we face by perpetuating the very model that caused them. Our diversity is our strength."
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Planting in a changing climate

Many tree-planting programmes now use climate modelling to work out which trees to plant, and where. Taking the lead in this area, Kew Gardens has developed a strategy informed by evidence from their extensive seed bank, to plant for diversity and the future. Head of tree collections at Kew, Kevin Martin, explains more.
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Writing as respite

There are 6 million unpaid carers in the UK, with a monetary value of unpaid care estimated to be £193 billion per year. Kate Blincoe shares her experience and looks at the vital role that writing can play, "Writing is an act of creation when so much of life feels like dealing with what the tide washes in, only to know it will be the same again tomorrow."
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A different kind of therapy

Anita Roy escapes from the city to discover a new kind of therapy that brings people face to face with wild animals. She wonders, "Could an owl or an eagle really help unmuddle my mind or banish my feelings of isolation?" Along the way she learns to view Nature less as a mirror and more like a window through which to explore the world beyond our human selves.
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The rebel gardener

Bringing sheer joy to his small London garden and ingenious ways to maintain a zero waste policy in the kitchen, Alessandro Vitale - aka Spicy Moustache - is on a mission to save the planet, one vegetable and one lively TikTok video at a time. He tells Susan Clark how growing what he eats links him back to Nature and why that really matters.
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Real change comes from within

There can be no meaningful external changes without meaningful internal ones, and those take courage and commitment. Sat Nadar asks, "How many of us are looking constantly to things outside ourselves in order to find our way? Or needing constant feedback from others in order to feel we fit in and therefore can feel OK about ourselves?" The key is to go deeper, be alert and know the truth of who we are.
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Picture Credits

Cover image: A Four Feather Walk, acrylic and mixed media on cradled panel, by Fiona Millais Photo: Colin Mills; The ocean and us: sculpture and photography by Jason deCaires Taylor: Planting in a changing climate; Cowdray Oak by Mary Anne Aytoun Ellis; Writing as respite: The Still Point of The Turning World by Nancy Cadogan; A different kind of therapy: Barn owl by Jessica May Art; The Rebel Gardener: Photo © Alessandro Vitale, 2023; Real change comes from within: Drawing Breath by Jayne Wilton.

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